Wilhelmi cheated on his wife and left his son on the beach for a strange woman. But for years he hid another weakness

Roman Wilhelmi is called by many one of the greatest Polish actors in history. In private, he was apparently not the easiest person to deal with. “I have never been an easy actor. Reviewers have never particularly liked me. I have something controversial about me, something not smooth, not what people like. I have always been difficult to perceive,” he said about himself in an interview on Polish Radio in 1979 .

Roman Wilhelmi was an outstanding actor, but he had many weaknesses. At the peak of his career, he drank and cheated on his wife

However, after his great roles in “The Enchanted Areas”, “The Story of Sin”, “The Moth” and “The Career of Nikodem Dyzma”, he won over fans. Today, his acting performances are remembered with great admiration and sentiment. As the author of the actor’s biography, Marcin Rychcik, says in an interview with Onet: – He would be surprised by the cult that now surrounds the characters he played. He was full of disbelief in his success until the end of his life. He was critical of himself, full of fears and obsessions. He avoided interviews, claiming he had nothing interesting to say.

Rychcik admitted in an interview that in Poland it is customary not to speak ill of the dead, but there are people who do not have ideal memories of the actor. “Initially, this charming boy won people over with his authentic energy. He had a gift. After failures in life, but also professionally – we only know his acting highs – he quickly became bitter,” he said about changing his attitude towards the actor while writing the book.

On the set, Wilhelmi was an egoist, which could disturb his co-workers. As the author of his biography writes, both in the cinema and in the theater, he overshadowed other actors and constantly fueled the atmosphere of competition. “Even when he played small roles, he wanted his character to stand out above the main character. He arranged shots to look good and his character was visible, so that the viewer would remember him. He was the type of egoistic actor for whom the performance was more important than the message of the film, but there was something pure, childish about it, like playing in the yard,” says Rychcik about the artist.

His second wife, Marika Kollar, may also have had a lot of grudge against the actor. As the actor’s career flourished, his drinking problem also deepened. While he was present at lavish banquets, Kollar had to take care of the child and the house. Moreover, Wilhelmi was unable to be faithful to his partners. “He often engaged in affairs. Even when married, he established closer relationships with women, and then it was difficult for him to keep his promises,” recalled Kollar, quoted by Wirtualna Polska.

In Małgorzata Pukoczowska’s book “Being a Child of a Legend”, Rafał Wilhelmi, the artist’s son, recalled that the actor was far from an exemplary father. Apparently, when he took his son on holiday to Bulgaria, he left the child alone on the beach. During this time, he went to a hotel with a strange woman.

Wilhelmi perfectly hid one of his flaws. To this day, many people don’t know about it

Years later, Rafał Wilhelmi also recalled that he had to go with his mother to Vienna, and his father was not supposed to help them financially, even after his divorce from Kollar. “Poverty drove us out of Poland. My mother earned money by translating, but after the August Agreements were signed in 1980, foreign contacts were radically limited and there was less and less work. And my father somehow didn’t feel like contributing money to my maintenance,” he said in an interview with the magazine. “Live” later quoted by Pomponik.pl.

Wilhelmi died on November 3, 1991 in Warsaw due to liver cancer. He was buried at the Wilanów cemetery in the capital. To this day, many people probably don’t know that he hid one of his physical defects on screen for years.

In his youth, the actor had a bicycle accident and collided with a car. He injured his arm, which made it difficult for him to straighten his arm. Doctors installed a special metal bar on him to ensure his best possible fitness. “Later, he operated his diseased hand perfectly, playing with it in many ways to hide it. It could be seen in the way he walked and when making certain gestures – especially when he played Dyzma. In the film, he did not raise his left hand up,” says Marcin about the actor’s minor inconvenience. Rychlik.